Renting can be a trial of your ability to handle unexpected surprises—Intermittent heat, massively delayed repairs, and unannounced rent increases, among others. Keep your home and your mind steady by knowing what rights you have under state or local law.

Tenants in the New York, for example, can read a pamphlet on preparing for a landlord-tenant trial to make sure their claims of faulty heat or breach of contract don't go unheeded. Connecticut tenants finding it difficult to gain back their security deposits can read up on how deposits must be kept. Some of the links seem to have died over time, like those in and around Texas, but many provide good, important resources for those feeling they're not getting their money's worth from their pad.